Attorney Sarah Baumgartel argued Gundy v. United States before the Supreme Court on October 2, 2018
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Our Mission

The Federal Defenders of New York vigorously defends persons charged with federal crimes who cannot afford to hire an attorney. We are an independent, non-profit organization with lawyers practicing in the federal courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, with offices located in Manhattan, Brooklyn, White Plains, and Central Islip. Our mission is straightforward: Although we provide our services free of cost, our clients should receive the finest legal representation available at any price.

We subscribe to a client-centered approach to legal representation. We listen to our clients, pay close attention to their individual needs, and work closely with paralegals, investigators and social workers to address all aspects of a client’s circumstances. We use that knowledge together with our legal experience, skill and judgment to fight for our clients and obtain the best result possible.

I grew to like to defend men and women charged with crime... I was dealing with life, with its hopes and fears, its aspirations and despairs. With me it was going to the foundation of motive and conduct and adjustments for human beings, instead of blindly talking of hatred and vengeance, and that subtle, indefinable quality that men call 'justice' and of which nothing really is known. - Clarence Darrow